Adapting theHarry Potterbooks to the big screen, one of the most beloved series of books ever made, was a major task. Most of it hinged on the ability of the three child actors who were selected to play the main characters to be able to bring the roles of Harry, Ron and Hermione to life.Emma Watsonvery successfully managed to do that, but now there is a new woman playing an older version of the character in a new stage play,Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Watsonrecently got to see the play and in a post on herFacebookpage just after seeing it, she had nothing but kind words. Included in the post were several photos of her with various members of the cast and crew, most notably with thenew Hermione,Noma Dumezweni. Here is whatWatsonhad to say about it.
“Yesterday I went to see theCursed Child. I came in with no idea what to expect and it was AMAZING. Some things about the play were, I think, possibly even more beautiful than the films. Having seen it I felt more connected to Hermione and the stories than I have since Deathly Hallows came out, which was such a gift. Meeting Noma and seeing her on stage was like meeting my older self and have her tell me everything was going to be alright, which as you may imagine was immensely comforting (and emotional)! The cast and crew welcomed me like I was family and Noma was everything I could ever hope she would be. She’s wonderful. The music is beautiful… I could go on… Here are some pics of me meeting Noma and the crew.”
It has been difficult for fans, and one can imagine maybe forWatsonas well, to accept someone else in the role of Hermione Granger, being that she essentially grew up as the character and spent so much of her life playing her. The show has been heavily praised so far, but the glowing endorsement fromWatsonmust be specifically nice for those working on the show and for fans that may have their doubts. There was some controversy surrounding the casting ofNoma Dumezwenifor the role, as she is a black woman and as many fans were quick to point out, Hermione was portrayed as white in the movies. That didn’t matter to creatorJ.K. Rowlingthough, as she feels they put the best actress in the role, and had some strong words in an interview she did with The Guardian for those who had negative feelings about the casting.
“I had a bunch of racists telling me that because Hermione ‘turned white’ - that is, lost color from her face after a shock - that she must be a white woman, which I have a great deal of difficulty with. But I decided not to get too agitated about it and simply state quite firmly that Hermione can be a black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm.”
Harry Potter and the Cursed Childis a continuation of the mainHarry Potterstory from the books and as of right now is only being conceived as a stage show.J.K. Rowlingcame up with the story and wrote the script herself, so it is an absolutely authenticHarry Potter story, even if it is in a completely different medium. Unfortunately for fans, the show is only in London right now, and tickets are sold out for quite some time. For those who really want to get the story, the script forCursed Childis being published as a book, but it is just the script and not a book that was written from the story in the script. The book is coming out on July 31.
It is a good time to be aHarry Potterfan, with the play out now andFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themdue out in November. Fans of the wizarding world are going to have a lot more to enjoy, even if it doesn’t involve the original cast. But, it is nice thatEmma Watsonloves what is being done currently and still feels so attached to the world ofHarry Potter, and isn’t distancing herself from it like a lot of actors might. Be sure to check out the photos and her Facebook post below.
